


You Spin Me Right Round

by Draco_sollicitus



Series: 25 Days of Damerey [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 25 Days of Damerey, Chanukah Fic, Dreidel Competition, F/M, Fluff, Happy Hannukah, Look at all the fluff I'm producing for once, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-06 21:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16840942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draco_sollicitus/pseuds/Draco_sollicitus
Summary: Poe Dameron does not have high expectations when his friend drags him to the JCC for a dreidel competition - but, as luck would have it, he sits down next to the prettiest girl he's ever seen. Maybe Singles Night isn't the worst thing ever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beccaboom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beccaboom/gifts).



> Gifted to beccaboom! 
> 
> Happy Hanukkah Damerey Fluff!

“Remind me why I’m here again?” Poe grumbled to Snap as they hung up their coats at the front entrance. Snap pretended to fuss with Poe’s curls, and Poe swatted at him a few times, grumbling half-heartedly under his breath about respect.

“Because,” Snap said evasively. “It’ll make your dad happy.”

Poe couldn’t really argue with that - he’d been avoiding these events for years, the ones thrown at the Coruscant Jewish Community Center specifically designated for singles. Poe was Jewish, Poe was single - but Poe also didn’t want to awkwardly speed date for two hours when he was bad enough at dating in a ‘normal’ situation (that was, one on one, over dinner, with a person way too pretty for him, who’d been brought in by his hair and dimples and good dress sense, but then taken aback by his boisterous sense of humor, obsession with sci-fi, and general lack of a filter).

Instead of arguing, Poe walked into the center’s main hall at his best friend’s side, scratching at his three-day stubble.

“You couldn’t have shaved?” Snap asked, the movement catching his eye.

“Shut up.” Poe glowered at him before smiling, the two breaking out into a mini shoving match that they quickly stopped, lest they draw the attention of any of the pretty young women who were already milling around the room. “Just. Don’t let me make a fool of myself, alright?”

“You’re asking for a miracle.”

“Yeah, yeah, very funny.” They spotted a table with a few empty seats and made they way over through the crowd. Poe unwound his scarf from his neck and draped it over the back of a folding chair. “In about two hours though, I’m going to return to my first argument that this was completely a waste of time” - while Poe spoke, Snap clapped him on his shoulder before heading over across the table to another empty seat - “And then you’ll have to admit that I’m never going to--”

Poe cut himself off, having looked down to see who he was sitting next to. “Crap.”

“You’re never going to crap?”

Poe stared in mild horror at the woman who’d just asked him - _oh no, what had happened_ -

She was the most beautiful woman Poe had ever seen, and _this_ was how they met? Poe, foot lodged firmly in mouth?

“He was probably saying that he was never going to get married,” Snap offered unhelpfully from his place across the table; Poe wondered if he could reach far enough under the card table to dig his foot into his friend’s shin. As it was, he shot him a glare that could definitely be deadly. “Isn’t that right, Dameron?”

“Something like that,” Poe muttered, face flaming red. Snap gestured at him encouragingly, and then turned to pull out the chair next to him for someone. “I’m Poe, by the way. Poe Dameron.” He held his hand out to the absolutely stunning woman to his left, and she took it, smiling broadly, clearly unbothered by his horrendous opening.

“I’m Rey.” _Rey,_ Poe thought dreamily, still shaking her hand - small, warm, dry - “Rey Organa-Solo.”

“Hey, I know that name.” Poe immediately perked up, slightly stirred from his _super inappropriate daydream,_ where he was imagining _the sound of Rey Dameron._ What? It had a good ring to it. “Is your mother Leia Organa?”

“Mhm.” Rey sipped from her water bottle and sat back in her chair, crossing her legs with her left over right. Her left foot dangled in space about ten inches from Poe’s leg, and he tried not to let on that it was pretty darn great to be this close to her. “The one and only.”

“My mom actually worked with your mom, about twenty years ago. We had dinner a few times, while my mom was helping out on the campaign.” Poe grinned fondly at the memory. “I was only about ten, but she left quite an impression.”

“She does that.” Rey laughed cheerfully, and then the P.A. crackled to life. They turned to face the emcee for the evening, who told them all to get out their dreidels and count their pieces of gelt.

“I’m very sorry, by the way,” Rey said conversationally as they got ready to play.

“Hmm?” Poe looked over at her, and Rey was smiling slyly.

“I’m a very lucky person.” She finished stacking her gelt into neat piles and leaned back with a smirk. “So, I’m sorry in advance for wiping the floor with you.”

“Ah, intimidation.” Poe nodded solemnly, maintaining a straight face somehow. “The legends of your prowess actually have kept me from competition in the past.”

“You know, that might be why I’ve never seen you at the JCC before.” Rey teased him, and Poe smiled, a full smile that curled almost up to his ears.

“Maybe you were never looking,” Poe pointed out.

“I think I would have seen you anyway.” Rey blushed before he could respond, and Poe felt warmth building in his stomach. He smiled down at the dreidel in his hand and then at the pot, trying not to smile at Rey just yet in case she could see how his ears were burning.

“My friend brought me,” he said, nodding towards Snap, who sat across from them at the table. Snap waggled his fingers at the sound of his name, and then went back to hitting on Karolyn Kun, his seatmate, whom Poe believed was actually the whole reason why he had been dragged here (and then promptly abandoned) in the first place. “I don’t usually go to these kinds of things.”

“You’re not single then?” Rey asked, fidgeting with a game piece, a look of practiced nonchalance on her face.

“No.” Poe caught his mistake and spoke quickly. “No, no, no, I’m very single. Like, mega-single. Couldn’t be more single. Super -”

“-Single,” Rey finished for him now wearing a real grin. “Got it.”

“Yeah, no,” Poe shook his head, feeling his curls twitch over his ears. “I, uh, I was supposed to have been a frequent flyer at these things. Would have gotten my dad off my back. He just wants to see me happily settled by now.”

“Ah, gotcha.” Rey smiled sympathetically at him. “Luckily, my parents don’t really care either way, as long as I have a good career.”

“And do you?” Poe winced at the almost rudeness of the question - but that was the point of this thing, right? Getting to know people? He wasn’t that bad at this. “I mean, do you like your job?”

“Love it.” The person leading their table called for their game pieces, and Rey chucked her gelt into the pot, as did Poe. “I’m a lawyer.”

Poe whistled long and low to show how impressed he was; Rey squirmed adorably. “Hot damn, bigshot attorney over here.”

“I’m actually a legal aid lawyer,” Rey explained, her nose scrunched up. “So, not so bigshot.”

“You kidding me?” Poe reached over and gently brushed her forearm. “I bet you’re a big shot to all the people you help.”

Rey’s response was lost with the commencement of the first round, but Poe felt her eyes on his face more than once - he told himself that was why he spun so poorly.

To be fair, it was worth losing to have Rey grab his forearm and giggle when he groaned. “ _Shtel._ ” Next to him, Rey claimed half the pot and gathered her gelt, cackling madly.

Rey had not been lying about being lucky - Poe watched in mild horror but mostly admiration as she out-spun them all consistently, never landing on _shin,_ and only rarely landing on _nun._ She won the first round handily, and Poe clapped without any sort of bitterness as she bowed and piled up her massive pile of winnings.

“Very impressive,” Poe said, and Rey beamed at him.

“You get a piece for being a good loser,” Rey decreed magnanimously, sliding a piece over to him. Poe took it with a laugh, and they started the next round.

Rey won all the rounds they played, and when they stood up from the table, a thought struck him.

“Hey, can I trade you?” He asked, waving the piece of gelt she’d given him at the beginning around in front of her.

“For what?” Rey asked, laughing, as she collected her purse.

“Your number.” Poe let the golden piece hang in the space between them, a crooked smile on his lips. Rey stared at him for a second, her cheeks bright pink, and then she darted back to the table and grabbed a sharpie from her purse, and an index card that had been on the table to denote the rules. Flipping it over quickly, she scribbled ten digits down and handed it to Poe, her cheeks still bright red.

“Deal.” She plucked the coin from his hand and then buried it deep in her pocket.

“Good deal,” Poe marveled, staring down at the number, a giddy feeling of excitement in his stomach. “Very good deal.”

They got separated for a time after that, as Poe was dragged over to the refreshment table by Snap and Kare (apparently to play middle man while Snap fumbled his way through asking Kare out officially), and Rey giggled in the corner with her girlfriends - he felt a little embarrassed but mostly proud when several pairs of eyes kept drifting over to him, followed immediately by giggles, and Rey tugging on her friends’ forearms, whispering something with her cheeks and ears red.

When they walked outside around 9:00 so that Snap could smoke, Poe opened his phone and typed Rey’s number into it rapidly, intending to text her something simple and breezy like _It was really nice to meet you tonight,_ or _I had a great time playing with you, meet me by the punch?_ or _You have a smile like sunshine and I kinda want to see it as soon as possible, and then maybe every day_ (okay, maybe that last one wasn’t so breezy).

Right as he was about to send the relatively safe _I’m glad we met, and I’d like to hang out soon if you’re free,_ his dad texted him with a string of emojis that was at first indecipherable.

There was an up arrow, a dog, a menorah, a couple hearts, and a phone, and Poe stared at it before shaking his head and tapping on the call button. Popping the phone up to his ear, Poe only had to wait for two rings before his dad answered.

“Hey!”

“Hey, papa.” Poe scuffed his shoe against the ground and grinned at the sound of his father’s voice. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you about your plans this week!”

“I’m … not sure how you got there,” Poe admitted, wiping his mouth as he thought about it. “Didn’t get that at all.”

“Well, you called didn’t you?” Kes teased. “How are you, mijo?”

“Really good.” Poe turned and smiled up at the front of the JCC. “Best I’ve been in a while, actually.”

Kes _ooo_ ed into the phone. “Did Singles Night go that well then? Did you meet a nice girl?”

He considered rolling his eyes, but honestly, he _had_ met a nice girl. “The nicest,” Poe said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment when Snap caught wind of what he was saying and catcalled him. “Ugh.” Poe really did roll his eyes then, and he walked away from Snap, towards the side of the building.

“Tell me all about her!” Without realizing it, his father switched to Ladino, and Poe matched him for it. Poe did what could most accurately be described as _gush_ for a few minutes - he focused mainly on bright eyes and big smiles and cute laughs, and _something completely indescribable, no words_ \- because he didn’t really have a word for how right it felt to talk to Rey Organa-Solo, besides _fate._

Kes gasped and exclaimed at all the right parts, not teasing Poe in the least for his gut instinct being so powerful; and when it came time for Poe to hang up, he slipped his phone into his pocket, and tilted his head back towards the sky, smiling widely, his joy uncontainable.

A pleasant voice reached his ears - someone was on the phone not too far away from him, behind the nearest tree. Poe peeked around it, and his smile was the opposite of dim:

Rey Organa-Solo was pacing a small alcove of the side garden to the JCC, her phone pressed to her ear as she talked animatedly, her free hand waving as she walked, walked, turned, walked, walked. Here and there, she would drag her hand through her thick brown hair, and Poe tried not to be too creepy, but he couldn’t help but look at her for a few seconds.

It wasn’t like he was actually eavesdropping, as Rey was speaking rapidly in Yiddish, something he’d never learned. She hung up after exchanging what was clearly a goodbye, and she turned to see him there.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, her hand going to her chest. “Oh, you scared me!”

“Sorry.” Poe smiled sheepishly. “I just came to see who else was out here.”

“Did you…” Rey was beet red. “Did you hear me?”

“Yep.” Poe smiled kindly and raised his hands apologetically. “Couldn’t understand a word. I don’t speak Yiddish.”

“Ah, okay, good.” Rey shook her head, a little mortified. “...I may have been talking to my mother.”

“Really?” Poe leaned against the wall of the garden and smiled at her. “I was just talking to my dad.”

She nodded and looked down at her feet, smiling shyly, and Poe frowned when he realized she was only wearing a cardigan over a t-shirt and jeans. “Hey, aren’t you cold? We should head back inside.”

“Not cold.” Rey lifted her head, and there in the moonlight, Poe could swear that he’d never seen anyone or anything so beautiful as her. “We could stay out here? A little longer?”

“Of course.” He saw a bench in the corner of the garden, and he gestured to it. Truthfully, it was a little cold for his taste, but he’d never say that, not when he settled onto the cool wood and metal structure next to Rey. “I was about to text you when my dad messaged me, to let you know that I was really glad we met.”

“You were?” Rey’s smile shifted, tucking away into the corner of her mouth while her thin arms wrapped around her figure. “I am too. Glad we met, that is.”

“Good.” Poe nodded and studied his linked fingers - they were about two feet apart on the bench, but he thought he could feel her warmth from here. “It was...this is going to sound weird, but it feels … right, that we met each other.”

“No, I know what you’re saying.” Rey nudged him, and when he looked up, her smile was back full-force. “It was _b’shert_.” Poe cocked his head, recognizing the sound of the word, but not the meaning. “Like it was meant to be. Kind of like destiny. There, I taught you some Yiddish.”

“You did.” Poe sat up straight and leaned against the back of the bench. “...Teach me some more?”

She nodded and blushed, and Poe spent the next hour growing steadily enamored.

 _B’shert_ , definitely.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey spend another Hanukkah together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: they probably play their game of dreidel a little strangely, but it's for a narrative reason, I SWEAR
> 
> Some of the rules for dreidel (from https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/597253/jewish/How-to-Play-Dreidel-Sevivon.htm)
> 
> "Nun" Absolutely nothing happens. Nun stands for the Yiddish word nul, which means zero. It's time for the player to your left to take a spin.
> 
> "Gimel" You get to take the whole pot! Gimmel stands for gantz, which means whole. Everyone, including you, now puts another unit into the pot, and the person to your left tries his luck at spinning.
> 
> "Hey" You get to take half of the pot. Hey stands for halb, half. If the pot has an odd amount of units, don't try to split that penny, nut, or piece of chocolate in half. Leave the odd item there.
> 
> "Shin" You put a unit into the pot. Shin is for shenk; yes, that means "give."

“You nervous, kid?” 

Poe looked up from his beer, which he’d been sipping quietly in the corner of the room, trying to stay out of the spotlight for as long as possible.

“Nervous?” Poe cleared his throat and wiggled the label on his Blue Moon for a second. “Why would I be nervous, sir?”

Han smirked at him and very unexpectedly wrapped his arm around Poe’s shoulders - Poe tried not to startle. “C’mon, first event with the full Solo-Organa clan? You’re not a little nervous?”

Studying the gathering, Poe had to admit he was intimidated by a few of the guests - namely, former Senator Leia Organa, and her stately parents, Bail and Breha Organa (both of whom had held a number of important offices during their careers). Rey’s brother Ben, a fairly successful actor - as in, give it a few years, and he’d be a household name - hovered in the kitchen, scowling at the leftover latkes, as though the presence of sour cream had done him great personal injury.

Rey swore that Ben wasn’t typically this moody, that he was just this cross while studying for a role, but Poe had met the guy a few times now, and was pretty sure he had a rod shoved so far up his - 

Han clapped his shoulder and released him. “It’s okay to be nervous.” He smiled at him kindly and raised his own beer in a toast of sorts. “I’d be weirded out if you weren’t nervous.”

“Y-yeah.” Poe nodded and stared at the floor, slightly mortified that he didn’t have a more articulate answer. Honestly, he had a feeling Rey’s dad liked him, quite a bit; it was Leia who Poe usually felt like flailing in front of. “I guess you’re right, sir.”

“Enough with the sir.” Han rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering to himself about  _ I’m not that old, damnit.  _ “Chewie!” The family’s massive bloodhound rose from his bed near the front window and trotted after Han, towards the older man’s study, ancient and fuzzy tail wagging.

“That went well,” Poe muttered to himself, squeezing the cool glass of his bottle for strength.

“What did?” 

Rey smiled sweetly at him, slipping her hand through his free one and bringing it to her lips. Poe had a good feeling that his ‘heart eyes’ (thusly named by Snap, and apparently stronger than ever) were bugging right out of his head. It had been a year since he met Rey at the JCC Singles’ Night, and he couldn’t help but wonder, frequently, as in every day, of the luck he had in finding her. 

He’d only gone to one of the nights, after years of his father beginning him to attend them; and it was there that he met her, on the first try, the first time. Poe thought back to that night, and the word Rey had told him the meaning of, and a smile formed on his lips at the warmth that shone inside of him, brighter still, day by day.

“Talking to your dad.” Poe twisted to set his beer down on the table behind him, and wrapped his hand around Rey’s, appreciating the softness of her hands, how warm they were underneath his own. “I feel like I put my foot in my mouth whenever I talk to him.”

“Dad loves you,” Rey said with a roll of her wide hazel eyes. “It’s Mom you gotta win over.”

“I know.” Poe groaned and ducked his head. 

“I’m kidding!” Rey laughed and squeezed his hands, leaning in so her forehead bumped into his reassuringly. “Mom loves you too! More than me, I think.”

“Nonsense.” Poe kissed the crown of her head quickly, and slowly inhaled the pure scent of her, the woman he loved so wholly. “Everyone loves you the best.” He tilted his head so he could look her in the eyes, and his eyes squinted as he gazed at her. “Especially me.”

Rey blushed and bit her lip, her fingers fidgeting in his as though she couldn’t contain her happiness at his statement - an easy one to make, to be sure, and a sentiment he had no problem repeating, again and again, if she’d let him. 

“I’m glad your dad could make it,” Rey said, nodding her head at Kes, who was deep in conversation with her great uncle, Obi Wan - and Rey couldn’t explain the name, nor the connection Obi Wan had to her family, as he wasn’t really related by blood but rather by “association.” Whatever that meant.

“Kes is glad too. He couldn’t stop talk about the meeting of the families. He even made a moodboard about it.”

“He didn’t.” Rey giggled brightly. “I don’t think that’s what those are for.”

“Tell that to the 200 photos of the  chanukiah, latkes, dreidels, and happy families on my flashdrive.”

“No.”

“Oh, yes.” Poe grinned fondly over at his father, who didn’t look up from his discussion with Obi Wan. “He wanted to make it using my computer because I have photoshop. He spent three hours on it on Saturday.”

Rey was still laughing, but didn’t have time to respond as Han wandered out of the study and declared it was time to play some dreidel. 

Poe’s palms felt clammier than normal as he sat down across from Obi Wan - who handily beat him - and then his stomach started to ache sometime around Leia stealing a good chunk of his gelt.

“Thank you,” Poe squeaked as he got up from his chair to move to the next person.

“Oh, I like you,” Leia snorted, counting up her pieces in a smug way that was eerily reminiscent of her daughter. Poe mumbled something in response and tripped to his next seat; he sat down across from Rey, who smiled at him beatifically.

“I’ll try to go easy on you this year,” Rey said sweetly, and Poe nodded, sweat beading along his hairline. Normally, he’d at least try to be clever, or at the very least, charming, but he could barely manage a grunt in acknowledgement. “You okay?” 

He peeked up from his small pile of gelt (which had greatly dwindled in size since they started their odd tournament round of dreidel, and honestly, were all Organas competitive?) and nodded, well aware that his face was probably grey. It definitely didn’t look great, judging by Rey’s expression of alarm.

“Are you ill, darling?” She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “We don’t have to play. We can go home, Mom would understand.”

“No.” Poe’s voice cracked, but he cleared his throat. “No, let’s play!”

“Okay.”

Her expression was still wary as they set up their round and started to play. All too quickly, Poe landed on  _ shin.  _

“Pony up, Dameron,” Rey said cheerfully. Han leaned over from where he was stationed on Rey’s right side and tapped her shoulder. “Yes, Abba?”

“I dropped my dreidel.” Han jabbed his finger under her chair. “Be a dear and get it for me?”

“Silly old man,” Rey teased before ducking down and complying. “You still owe me a piece, Dameron!” She called up to remind him.

Poe cleared his throat nervously and nodded, leaning forward to chuck his item into the pot; it clattered suspiciously, and he winced. 

“Did he do it?” Rey popped up and handed her father the dreidel. 

“Yes, of course.” Han returned to his game with his dour son. “He’s not a cheater like  _ someone  _ I know.”

“That was one time!” Ben protested, causing Rey to giggle before returning her attention to the game.

Rey Organa-Solo was one of the luckiest people Poe had ever met, which is what he was counting on. Her terrifyingly good fortune had caused her to wipe the floor of the Coruscant JCC with him last year, and he was hoping that it would repeat this year. 

Thankfully, Poe’s assumption was right.

It was barely another two turns - and another loss of gelt by him - before Rey landed on  _ gimel _ . 

“Woo-hoo!” Rey crowed, dragging the pot towards her. “Your ass is mine, Dame-”

She froze, having tipped the contents out onto the table. Slowly, her hand went to her mouth, until her fingers hid it from sight completely. 

Han grinned widely, and across from him, even Ben cracked a smile. “Look, you got her to stop bragging,” her brother drawled, leaning back in his chair. “That’s n--” His teasing was cut off by a loud thump under the table as his father kicked him viciously. “Ow!”

“Poe?” Rey raised her eyes to his face at last, and he hoped the strangled sensation in his throat translated to hopeful love on his face. He was sure that,, at the very least, it looked strangled.

It was time to move. Poe stood up and moved around the table quickly, until he was next to Rey. Then, he got down on one knee and looked up at her, as beautiful as ever. She was beautiful all days, but tonight she looked particularly radiant, in a green velvet dress, her hair half-pulled back from her lovely face. Poe took a moment just to stare at her adoringly. “Wow,” he whispered to himself. 

Something prodded at his back - Han Solo’s finger, no doubt. Poe shook himself to continue.

“Sunshine,” he began, tears already filling his eyes.  _ Gosh, that’s inconvenient.  _ “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. It’s only been a year since I met you, and that year has brought some of the most intense happiness I’ve ever known to my life. You are like - well, you’re like the sun, and you brighten everything you touch. You’re going to save the world, you know,” Rey was smiling and wiping her eyes, and Poe hoped that was a good sign, “And I hope you’ll want someone to be there to make you look even better. I know that if I could do one thing, and one thing only in my life, it would be to dedicate myself to you fully, to try to make you as happy as you’ve made me, to support you in everything. So, uh,” his face was burning hot by this point. “What do you say? Would you be my wife? Would you let me be your husband, dedicated to you for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes.” Rey nodded quickly, sniffing and laughing still. “Yes, yes - of course, yes.” Poe grabbed Shara’s ring from the table (no longer on his necklace, and it never would be again) and held it out for her, and Rey cried a little harder at the inscription on the inside of the ring, the inscription he had done two months ago when he started really thinking about this. 

_ B’shert. _

The ring settled perfectly on her finger, and Rey fell off her chair to throw her arms around his neck, showering his face with kisses. When he pulled her close, hugging her tightly to him, she laughed wetly into his hair, whispering to him that she loved him. “I love you too,” he answered quietly, his own tears falling now. 

Above them, Kes and Han had started clapping and shouting enthusiastically, a chant of: “SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!” and judging by the sound of it, began a dance as well. 

Poe peeked up from the happy little bubble he’d created with Rey to see their fathers gripping each other’s forearms and jumping up and down in time with their cheerful song.

“Wait!” Leia shouted, jumping up from her chair. “I have a binder for this!’ She scurried out of the room, and Rey groaned in exasperation. 

“I’ve seen that binder,” she whispered to Poe as Kes and Han continued to shout.  _ SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!  _ “It’s at least two inches thick.”

“That’s pretty rough,” Poe laughed, settling back so he could place his hands softly on Rey’s cheeks, stroking some of the tears away. “...Kes has a binder too, and it’s four inches thick.”

“This is going to be interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the entry of Day 10 of 25 Days of Damerey!!!!! I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> maybe this needs a sequel???
> 
> Tune back in tomorrow for more 25 Days of Damerey!


End file.
